Personal Statement

Throughout my life, I have struggled with anxiety; it became debilitating as I entered high school. As I went through 9th and 10th grade, life became near impossible for me to deal with. I ended up neglecting school activities and had no thoughts about working towards a future for myself. I did not think I could handle life outside of high school, and so I made no effort towards college. In my junior year, I was introduced to a psychologist and began to find the tools I needed to gain control over my circumstances. I am now coming up on my graduation with power over my illness instead of the other way around. Before now, I was convinced that my anxiety would always be dominate over every aspect of my life. Even a few months ago, I thought I

This puts me behind my peers, who have been planning and gathering resources long before I started. Because of this, I need all the financial help I can get my hands on. Without aid, I will not be able to take the classes I need to be able to make a difference in the lives of kids battling with mental illness. My family and I are hoping to gain a way into college without having to take out loans. By having to do so, it will put a burden on my parents and my future self, so scholarship money will be beneficial for this reason as well. I am not deserving of this scholarship. I don’t believe anyone to be deserving of anything, But I have done my part in working towards it. And with the scholarship, I will be able to make a difference in my community, and I will broaden my horizon at college and find confidence in myself in my years

In the past four years, I have been treated for Generalized Anxiety disorder, social anxiety, and depression, along with others. I know what it is like to deal with something so draining and painful, and yet is invisible to an outside eye. There is a stigma that haunts mental disorders, and I want to do my part to end it. I know many who struggle with a mental illness, but refuse to get the help they need in fear of rejection or judgement. I was one of them. But while I am at college, I will volunteer my time and effort into bringing an acceptance of mental illness to my community. I have already explored this idea in my AP Art Portfolio; I used design elements to represent my struggles, and give an artistic viewpoint on the areas of mental illness. I will continue making art on this subject while in college, and hopefully discover other ways to educate people on the